Price-scale



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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. J. DUNLEA.

PRICE SCALE.

No. 597,670. Patented Jam- 18,1898.

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T. J. DUNLEA.

PRICE SCALE.

' 188.587,87). Patented Jan. 18.1888.

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' @XM/Mmm a! A II UNITED, STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

THOMAS JOSEPH DUNLEA, OF BIN GHAMTO N, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES F.VRIGHT, OE SUSQUEH ANNA, PENNSYLVANIA. PRICE-SCALE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,670, dated January18, 1898.

Application filed Marcl18,1897. Serial No. 626,513. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS JOSEPH DUN- LEA, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Binghamton, 1n the county of Broome and 5 State of Nnewand useful Improvements 1n Price-Scales, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein ing drawings. zo My inventionrelate that class of scales kno having particular reference to thatclass of devices which are attached to scalement incurred by theadditional parts above mentioned; and my invention further consists inproviding each of said arms with a scale or Weight-graduations thatextend from left to right, t ose on the short w on thc long 'gnatepound-divisions, and in arranging on the face of said cylinder and itsattached column a series of tabnlations of l price-computations thathave strict reference to cross-graduations on the respective arms. n theaccompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of my improvedscalo, while Figs. 2, 3, and et represent in like views a de- 6 tachedfront elevation of the balance-frame, showing, respectively, thecylinder-and poises in different relative positions for the purpose ofexemplifying the method of computation.

like letters of reference indicate like parts 7c in the several figures.

n said drawings, A represents the frame of the scales; C, the scale-beamsuspended therefrom; D, the rotative cylinder or drum;

the casing attachment, and F the station- 75 ary eolu mn orindicator-plate.

The frame consists of a suitable base having uprights a a and ahorizontally-extendin g beam a', which rests on said uprights and apendent hanger H, that 8o support and pivot-rest for the scale-beam. Thescale-beam is provided with pivot-points ff, arranged intermediate ofits ends and which are shaped s knife-edges that pivot or rest thehanger H, thereby eectinfr g a suspension of the beam that presents armsof unequal length. 'lh

ese arms are divided by scalegraduations or weighing-points, the largerarm bearing the divisions indicating pounds 9o and Which extend inprogression from the point of fulcrum toward the end, While theshort-arm divisions serve price rate.

A further object of my invention is to enlarge the capacity of suchscales,Wl1ereby the cost or value of an article may be read at a 2 5glance, even when the weight is expressed as a compound of pounds andounces and the price rate is denominated by units and fractions thereof.

lo these ends my invention consists, prias to extend along thethereto,while theirsuspension is effected in such a manner,

p -point on -support- 45 ing pivot, While the longer arm is adapted tocarry a platform, which is hung therefrom. ach of the arms is providedwith a poise or movable Weight, while the general adjustment of theorganization thus arranged is effected 50 by means of aeonnterpoisethatis so disposed tative cylinder or drum D, Whieh is made,

as to compensate for any Weight or derangepreferably, of thin metal.

uprights b b, upon which are mounted a roroo E represents a casing thatis arranged to inclose said cylinder and which is provided with a slotportion that extends lengthwise thereof and is so located as to exposethe central portion of said cylinder to admit of bringing to view thehorizontal lines of figures as required. F represents a stationaryindicator-column that is mounted on said casing at the top, so as toextend lengthwise of the said casing just above the slot-opening andwhich aords a convenient location for a supplemental tabulation ofcomputations.

A scale-pan L is suspended from beam at g. The weighing-beam andattachments thus arranged are initially balanced in a horizontalequilibrium by reason of a movable counterbalance-weight G, which isattached to a depending arm at the end of the short arm and which bybeing mounted to rotate on a screw can be revolved either one way or theother to obtain the most delicate adjustment between the balancedlever-arms. This counterbalance is shown as provided with aretaining-screw S, that can be used to seat the weight in a givenposition, so that it will not slip to increase or diminish the leveragerequired to establish and maintain a perfect equilibrium. The cylinderabove referred to is so disposed that the periphery thereof isrelatively arranged to extend along the path of the beam and inproximity thereto. The periphery of said cylinder is divided into twosections, each of which corresponds in length with that of the adjacentscale-graduations on the arms. These sections are divided into lines andspaces. The section opposite the long arm is divided into lines andspaces that extend in a series of longitudinal lines about the peripheryof the cylinder, said spaces corresponding in number on each line withthe number of pound-divisions on said weighingarm, which spaces areprovided with appro# priate figures arranged in progression to indieatethe multiples of the price rate that is indicated on the same line asthe first and lowest number of the cross-series. The figures on theselines are so spaced that they aline with the scale-graduations on thescalebeam opposite, so that when the poise P is slid along the beam to apredetermined weighingpoint the perpendicular indicator or pointer pthereon indicates the figures of computation for such weight at theprice rate exposed. The section opposite the short arm is likewisedivided into lines and spaces that form horizontal extensions inalinement with those bearing the price rate and which are divided intounits to agree in subdivision with the number indicating the price rate.I

Extending horizontally above the cylinder, as above referred to, is acolumn that bears on its lower portion a supplemental tabulation, Whileat the top, extending in lengths equal to the section formed on thecylinder, are spaces that indicate on the top line computations based onthe use with the price rate of the fraction 22 while those on the nextline indicate computations based on the use with the price rate of thefraction i, the use of which will be better understood by examples to behereinafter described.

The operation of my improved scale is as follows: The weights or poisesbeing in the usual position the scale-beam \will be accuratelybalanced.Suppose now it is desired to weigh off a quantity of any article orcommodity. The rotary cylinder is revolved by turning the thumb-piece Sso as to expose the price rate required. The sliding weight is thenmoved to the weight-point sought, and the article is weighed as usual.The operator will note that the pointers of the poise aline with acertain figure on the face of the cylinder opposite, and he is at onceapprised of the price of the article weighed. Thus, for instance, toascertain the cost of three-fourths of a pound of merchandise at therate of sixteen cents per pound all the seller has to do after weighingthat amount off on the ounce side of t-he scale, as indicated in Fig. l,is to rotate the cylinder until the rate price of sixteen is broughtinto view and then glance along the cross-line extending therefrom untilhe reaches the space indicated by the pointer on the small poise, wherehe will find the cent-space indicated, which in this example proves tobe the twelfth, and he is thereby informed without any mental labor thattwelve ounces estimated at the rate of sixteen cents per pound amountsto twelve cents. lVhen the commodity to be weighed amounts to more thanone pound-ms, for instance, five pounds-the poise on the pound-arm ismoved to the weighing-point indicated by the numeral 5, as shown in Fig.2, while the indicator-finger alines with said numeral on the armindicating the exact weight, as well as with the face of the cylinder,which indicates the total price amount and which, at the rate of sixteencents per pound, as illustrated in the example, proves to be eightycents. These calculations just referred to are limited to the use of thecylinder alone. There is a limit to the tabulation capacity of the saidcylinder embodying the above-described system of computation, because inenlarging the cylinder to give it a capacity to indicate a long seriesof figures or totals its size :must necessarily be increased to such anextent as to render it an encumbrance that is unwieldy on abalance-frame. To avoid this, the first provision made is that ofoccupying the central space on the cylinder with the added series oftotals; but these are employed in a machine of the size depicted onlywhen weights are added to the platform, and the second provision made isthat of utilizing a stationary column F as an adjunct to the saidcylinder to give greater range of computation,

It will be seen on. inspecting Fig. 3 that the column F is provided onits lower portion with a progressive series of numbers that are themultiples of twenty, (the price rate, which is located on the extremeleft of the line in IOC IIO

said section,) and should the vender wish to compute a given number ofpounds-say ten pounds-at thirty-six cents a pound he will find that therange of the price rates on the 5 machine of this size does not includeso high a rate; but by turning the cylinder to bring to View thesixteen-cent rate and by referring' to the twenty-cent rate on thecolumn he will have the equivalent of thirty-six cents, and

I ten pounds computed at said rate may be arrived at by reference to thenumerals in the two columns arranged in alinement with theindicating-finger on the poise, which is in this example 1607 plus 200,which is equal to I three hundred and sixty, or three dollars and sixtycents.

In the foregoing examples the method of ascertaining the computed pricehas had reference to a given weight of merchandise ex- 2o pressed inunits of a single denomination of measure, either in pounds or ounces,while the price rate involved simply the use of a whole number; but inFig. et is illustrated a computation more complex in nature,in which theweight is expressed as a compound of pounds and ounces and the pricerate is calculated by units and fractions thereof; but in this kind ofan example the result can be readily and easily obtained by the use ofthe 3o cylinder and with the aid of the graduations and figures on thestationary column. Let the example be to ascertain the cost price ofmerchandise that weighs five pounds and four ounces, at thirty-six andone-half cents per 3 5 pound. Bymoving the poises to thoseweighing-points indicated on the respective arms and by exposing thesixteen-cent price rate and following the plan pursued in the previousexample for obtaining a thirty-six-cent 4o rate and the totals thereofthe operator can then proceed by footing those totals up indicated inalinement with the pointer on the pound side, which are in this instanceSO plus 100, while the fractional product is ascertained by reference tothe top line, or one-half fraction line, as it is called, where it willbe observed that the space in alinem ent with said indicator forms inthe cross-series a multiple of the fraction one-half that is the 5ofifth in the series and amounts to two and onehalf, which added to theS0 plus 100 completes the computation for that section of the cylinder,while by a like method the operation refers to and adds the amountsindicated in alinement with the indicator of the poise on the ounce sideof the cylinder and column, which also includes the consideration of thefractional line. It is observed that the poiseindicator on this sidealines with et on the cylinder and 5 on the lower tabulation of 6o thecolumn, while the point to which it indicates on the fractional linelies just to the left of the subdivision, which is approximatelyone-tenth. These totals added togetherand combined with the productalready obtained result in a total of 191.6, the correct amount.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is` 7o 1. The combination with a scale-beamhaving its fulcrum-point at a point between its ends to provide unequalarms, the shorter arm bearing the load-supporting pivot and the longerarm carrying the counterpoiseplatform, weighing-points indicated on eachA arm which bear each a series of figures in progression indicatingounces and pounds respectively, and each of said arms bearing poises; ofa rotatable cylinder extending 8o along the path of said scale-beam,which is provided with two or more sections of tabulations orprice-computations, that are arranged with reference to theweighing-points on the respective arms; and a counterpoise arranged tocompensate for the general adjustinent of the whole balance-framesubstantially as described.

2. The combination with a scale-beam, having its fulcrum-point locatedat a point be- 9o tween its -ends to provide unequal arms, the shorterarm bearing the load-supporting pivot, and the longer arm carrying thecounterpoise-platform, weighing-points indicated on each arm which beara series of figures in progression that are arranged to extend from leftto right for indicating ounces and pounds respectively, and each of saidarms bearing poises ofarotatable cylinderexteuding along the path ofsaid scalc-beam which is proroo vided with two or more sections oftabulations or price-computations, and a columns attachment on saidcylinder bearing a tabulation of computations on its lower portion, anda fractional scale on its upper portion, each of said tabulations beingarranged with reference to the weighing-points on the respective arms;and a counterpoise arranged to compensate for the general adjustment ofthe whole balance-frame, substantially as 11o described.

In testimony whereof l aix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

THOMAS JOSEPH DUN LEA.

lVitnesses:

A. H. FALKENBURY, C. W. GLIDDEN.

